The Project Runway alum on his new book, meaningful mentors, and his fierce new footwear collection

Though he's most associated in our minds with popular television and `tween-flavored catchphrases, designer Christian Siriano is no fashion lightweight. With formal training in everything from couture to millinery to bridal to the perfect pintuck, not to mention three independent showings at New York Fashion Week, the 23-year-old Project Runway winner is pretty much everything you wouldn't expect from someone whose rise to prominence came courtesy of reality TV. In his new book, Fierce Style, Siriano (who worked on it with People writer Rennie Dyball) imparts plenty of sound, humorously delivered fashion advice (chapter titles include "Don't Be Boring" and "Finding Your Inner Ferocia"), but the real value-added of this scrapbook-style memoir is how effectively Siriano ties his tips to his personal experiences. Some—involving his "first muse," his eccentric older sister, Shannon, for example—are uplifting, most are not. For every victory Siriano's enjoyed, you learn there were two or more failures preceding it, propelling him forward.

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Fierce Style is a book that can be fun and frothy and easily read in two-or-three-page bites, but it's also an autobiography, telling the whole inspirational story behind one of fashion's most promising young designers. We talked to Siriano about his new book, his killer shoe collection for Payless, and which trend he'd like to see die a slow death.

I stayed up until 2 a.m. reading your book, so I apologize in advance if I'm a little punchy.

Oh no! (Laughs) Well, I hope you liked it.

I did! It wasn't what I was expecting. There's a lot more than just fashion in there.

Right? It evolved into what it is. When I started, I already knew I didn't want to do a guide, to tell people what to do, what they should and shouldn't wear...

You definitely do some of that, though...

I do, I do, I mean, come on, flip-flops, jeans, and a t-shirt is not a signature style. It's not! There's nothing unique or expressive about that. But in general, I wanted to reference experiences I've had that would help explain why I was saying the things I was.

Like, how not getting into FIT was actually a good thing in the end?

Exactly. Without that setback, I never would've gone to London, never would have worked with Vivienne Westwood or at [Alexander] McQueen. [Not getting in] totally sucked, because it was a surprise. I wasn't prepared for it. But honestly, it motivated me that much more to succeed.

Who besides those you've just mentioned have served as meaningful mentors to you?

It's interesting, because lately, the people who have `mentored' me aren't people I really know. It's more that I'm mentored by some of the newish designers who are doing really well. Obviously, Altuzarra...and even though they're not really new, Alex Wang and the Mulleavy sisters. It's like, they showed one or two incredible collections, caught the eye of the right people, and now their trajectory is up, up, up.

Speaking of collections, let's talk about the new one you just showed. That full body stocking!

(Laughs) I've always had a huge hip-hop, urban-music following. I have Amerie, Ciara, and lots of girls from that industry sitting at my show, and that look was really, totally for them.

And the shoes? They're going to hit Payless stores next year?

Yes! Well, not the exact shoes you saw on the runway, but...

No! I loved that heel!

I loved it, too! I designed them to curve in like a horn. It's not totally finalized, but the majority of Payless stores will commercialize my design a bit. There will hopefully be a limited number of the original designs available in cities like New York and L.A., though.

A question we always ask Michael Kors at the end of every Fashion Week is if there's a trend he'd like to see die a slow death—are there any current trends you'd like to see go away?

You know, there's no one trend I can think of, but it's more the trickle-down of the trends that I wish would die. Something that started off super-original and innovative on the runway goes through all these interpretations until it hits the lowest end, and then it's just like...a joke. That is something I'd definitely like to see less of.